It's warmer today! I think the forecast was an actual forecast, and not based on past...but the sun is going down and it's cold in the house. Well it was cold in the house all day; I'm sure we will be happy about that once the weather gets really warm. So I went out to the community center today to do my English class thing, and after lunch, to help them use up their energy, Anda and I took a bunch of kids to the park down the street. Ha ha, it was about 15 kids...oh wait there's more! Crap we ended up with about 37 kids- I say 3 cause I tried 3 times to count them but they are squirmey and impossible to count! So we take off down this road, turn 2 corners and we end up at this park with swings and slides. They are screaming and playing, but man some of these kids can't be 3 years old. I mean tottering around, and some maybe 10 or 11, and the rest all in between. A guy walked by with this huge pitbull and when I noticed, 3 or 4 kids were already over there. Now the guy said the dog was nice, but what if he wasn't? And those kids had just run over there. Then more kids were making a beeline for the dog and I stopped everyone. Hey! You don't know this dog! And you know, even if he's really nice, a bunch of little kids would make any dog nervous. But the only concerned person was me....
So when it was time to go back, a bunch of little boys had no intention of complying with order to line up. They were not gonna leave the slide, one of those plastic tubes..most of them were standing around Anda, but I was getting frustrated- I was kind of uncomfortable being in charge of 37 kids who I could barely communicate with- and I yelled at them- told them in Spanish that no more park if they don't listen...ha ha walking back I had a toddler on my shoulders and holding hands with a couple of others...Then we go back, and I only have 4 kids plus 2 really little ones for class...at first I thought- ooops I guess I was a little hard (mean), but then I saw what they were doing, string beads on colored string or wires, making bracelets and necklaces...I can't compete with that! That's ok, I'll just keep plugging away.
I counted over 40 kids before the meal was served and maybe half that many adults. What I noticed was that more come in while they're eating. I believe there are at least 2 other places that feed people 5 days a week around here, one place is called Two Fish, the other might be the VG- Villa Granada that my friend Conrad is restoring. These people are really struggling, and it's so cold that there has been no school all week cause the classrooms are just too cold out there. That's why there were so many kids at one time anyway. I also hear a little more about the sewing project they are trying to get going. There's a woman in San Diego that sell clothes/things made from recycled materials. For the clothes I think she gets the stuff factories throw away. Then she sends the stuff to Tiajuana for these woman to make into things, they send it back to her and she sells it on her website, mostly to environmentalists. The women who make it receive payment. So she is willing to send materials for sewing here to this center. They will sew aprons, and I'm not sure what else, from these pieces of material, squares, end pieces, seconds, etc. When it is sold, they get paid. This gets these women busy, and making money for themselves, and it's using recycled materials.I saw a couple of women today talking about the aprons and coming up with different ideas. It was pretty cool. The director of the center submitted a proposal for the funds to buy some sewing machines. This is where the church stuff comes in- but in a pretty cool way- these people in the states raise this money to support the center. You know, activities, art shows, auctions, bake sales, whatever people do to raise money- but it's people raising the money and apparently they do pretty damn good. The other proposal she just submitted was for a computer lab for the kids, and she thinks she'll get the money for both in the next 3-4 months! Pretty impressive. I hope to be a part of it.
On other fronts, looked at another car yesterday. The guy who owned was a federale, and when he motioned for me to get in the car, I leaned in and there was this big (ok to me- HUGE) black asssault rife in between the seats, i said...oooh maybe not...he laughed- ooops and took it out. But Poppi took the car for a ride and there was a noise/shake...and I could hear the squeaky brakes, and then a couple of cosmetic things I didn't like....like the part on the door where the electric window, door lock, etc is, well the cover was missing altho they said they had it...but no thanx....too many little things. So we continue to look. I just want a little beater to drive around town, it's hard not to have a car. But the truth is we continue to bleed money....We spent alot moving up here and moving in, ten Christmas (my elliptical), then this month has been a couple of things we still needed- a vacuum, and we had the kids for a few days, really the main expense of that was gas going back and forth to Phoenix twice..
So now a car, then either Feb or March Everardo will probly go to Playa Ventura, then will I have to pay income tax? I'm gonna go to Petaluma, and oh boy in April we have property tax again (about $2800)...soooo. Well Poppi got a permit to sell stuff on the beach or any tourist area and he has some plans, and I hope I hope I hope that we sell the Playa Ventura house soon. But we are ok. We are happy. My kids can come down anytime since we are so much closer. A couple of friends have said the same thing. We are both getting involved in things and we are enjoying ourselves. So- it's all GOOD!!
So when it was time to go back, a bunch of little boys had no intention of complying with order to line up. They were not gonna leave the slide, one of those plastic tubes..most of them were standing around Anda, but I was getting frustrated- I was kind of uncomfortable being in charge of 37 kids who I could barely communicate with- and I yelled at them- told them in Spanish that no more park if they don't listen...ha ha walking back I had a toddler on my shoulders and holding hands with a couple of others...Then we go back, and I only have 4 kids plus 2 really little ones for class...at first I thought- ooops I guess I was a little hard (mean), but then I saw what they were doing, string beads on colored string or wires, making bracelets and necklaces...I can't compete with that! That's ok, I'll just keep plugging away.
I counted over 40 kids before the meal was served and maybe half that many adults. What I noticed was that more come in while they're eating. I believe there are at least 2 other places that feed people 5 days a week around here, one place is called Two Fish, the other might be the VG- Villa Granada that my friend Conrad is restoring. These people are really struggling, and it's so cold that there has been no school all week cause the classrooms are just too cold out there. That's why there were so many kids at one time anyway. I also hear a little more about the sewing project they are trying to get going. There's a woman in San Diego that sell clothes/things made from recycled materials. For the clothes I think she gets the stuff factories throw away. Then she sends the stuff to Tiajuana for these woman to make into things, they send it back to her and she sells it on her website, mostly to environmentalists. The women who make it receive payment. So she is willing to send materials for sewing here to this center. They will sew aprons, and I'm not sure what else, from these pieces of material, squares, end pieces, seconds, etc. When it is sold, they get paid. This gets these women busy, and making money for themselves, and it's using recycled materials.I saw a couple of women today talking about the aprons and coming up with different ideas. It was pretty cool. The director of the center submitted a proposal for the funds to buy some sewing machines. This is where the church stuff comes in- but in a pretty cool way- these people in the states raise this money to support the center. You know, activities, art shows, auctions, bake sales, whatever people do to raise money- but it's people raising the money and apparently they do pretty damn good. The other proposal she just submitted was for a computer lab for the kids, and she thinks she'll get the money for both in the next 3-4 months! Pretty impressive. I hope to be a part of it.
On other fronts, looked at another car yesterday. The guy who owned was a federale, and when he motioned for me to get in the car, I leaned in and there was this big (ok to me- HUGE) black asssault rife in between the seats, i said...oooh maybe not...he laughed- ooops and took it out. But Poppi took the car for a ride and there was a noise/shake...and I could hear the squeaky brakes, and then a couple of cosmetic things I didn't like....like the part on the door where the electric window, door lock, etc is, well the cover was missing altho they said they had it...but no thanx....too many little things. So we continue to look. I just want a little beater to drive around town, it's hard not to have a car. But the truth is we continue to bleed money....We spent alot moving up here and moving in, ten Christmas (my elliptical), then this month has been a couple of things we still needed- a vacuum, and we had the kids for a few days, really the main expense of that was gas going back and forth to Phoenix twice..
So now a car, then either Feb or March Everardo will probly go to Playa Ventura, then will I have to pay income tax? I'm gonna go to Petaluma, and oh boy in April we have property tax again (about $2800)...soooo. Well Poppi got a permit to sell stuff on the beach or any tourist area and he has some plans, and I hope I hope I hope that we sell the Playa Ventura house soon. But we are ok. We are happy. My kids can come down anytime since we are so much closer. A couple of friends have said the same thing. We are both getting involved in things and we are enjoying ourselves. So- it's all GOOD!!
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